Constitutional amendment act

(CNN)A battle over abortion bills in the United States played out in voting booths Tuesday, with Alabama and West Virginia passing constitutional amendments that would restrict abortion access and Oregon handily voting to protect it. What these amendments tangibly mean, now or after they're signed, is debatable, given the federal protection of Roe v. Wade. But they are, at a minimum, signs of what's to come should the landmark Supreme Court case get overturned. "In a world after Roe, the voters will finally get to decide what abortion policy they support," said anti-abortion activist Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, in a written statement. "In this election, we saw people getting ready for the day in which Roe becomes a footnote in history." What the laws say Alabama's Amendment 2, which passed with 61% of votes, amends the state's Constitution "to declare and otherwise affirm that it is the public policy of the state to recognize and support the … [Read more...] about Two states passed abortion amendments to their constitutions. What does that mean?

President Donald Trump is making another hardline immigration play in the final days before the midterm elections, declaring that he wants to order an end to the constitutional right to citizenship for babies born in the United States to non-citizens. But such an order may violate the Constitution. Most scholars think he can't implement such a change unilaterally. Trump made the comments to "Axios on HBO" with seven days to go before high-stakes elections. Trump, seeking to energize his supporters and help Republicans keep control of Congress, has stoked anxiety about a caravan of Central American migrants and refugees making its way to the U.S.-Mexico border by foot — the group is still hundreds of miles away from U.S. soil. Trump's administration announced Monday it was dispatching thousands of active-duty troops to the border, and Trump said he'd set up tent cities to house asylum seekers. Trump has long called for an end to birthright citizenship, as have many conservatives. … [Read more...] about Trump Says He Will Order Limits to Birthright Citizenship, Despite 14th Amendment

By The Associated Press | PUBLISHED: October 30, 2018 at 6:05 am | UPDATED: October 30, 2018 at 9:29 am By LAURIE KELLMAN and CATHERINE LUCEY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is intensifying his hardline immigration rhetoric heading into the midterm elections, declaring that he wants to order the end of the constitutional right to citizenship for babies born in the United States to non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants. Trump made the comments to “Axios on HBO” ahead of elections that he has sought to focus on his immigration policies. Seeking to energize his supporters and help Republicans keep control of Congress, he has stoked anxiety about a caravan of Central American migrants making its way toward the U.S.-Mexico border. He is dispatching additional troops and saying he’ll set up tent cities for asylum seekers. Revoking birthright citizenship would spark a court fight over whether the president has the unilateral … [Read more...] about Trump: Remove birthright citizenship guarantee from Constitution

President Donald Trump is planning to attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order, Trump told news outlet Axios, a move that may violate the Constitution. The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof," as well as to the children of citizens. The Supreme Court ruled in 1898 in the case of a child born to Chinese parents in the U.S. that the amendment "includes the children born, within the territory of the United States, of all other persons, of whatever race or color, domiciled within the United States." But Trump insisted to Axios, in an interview clip released Tuesday morning, that both he and Congress have the power to revoke that right when a reporter mentioned some legal scholars who believe that birthright citizenship is not enshrined in the Constitution. "It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't," Trump said, adding when … [Read more...] about Trump Says He Will Order End of Right to Birthright Citizenship, Despite 14th Amendment

Gary Fineout, Associated Press Updated 4:44 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Confronted with a federal judge's looming deadline, Florida Gov. Rick Scott called an extraordinary late-night meeting of top state officials Wednesday to decide what to do about the state's process for restoring voting rights to former prisoners. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker gave Florida until Thursday to create a new process after ruling in February that the state's system is unconstitutional and arbitrary, with decisions possibly swayed by politics and racial factors. The state sought to put Walker's ruling on hold, but an appeals court hasn't acted on that request, so Scott scheduled a clemency board meeting for 9:30 p.m. The board consists of Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and two other elected Republicans. EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Get breaking news, Seahawks coverage, Joel Connelly and award-winning photography in your inbox A few hours ahead of the meeting, … [Read more...] about Florida Republicans may be forced to act on voting rights